


Fleeting Warmth

by ghostflora



Category: Hakuouki
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 09:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17041526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostflora/pseuds/ghostflora
Summary: They keep each other warm.





	Fleeting Warmth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Razia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Razia/gifts).



This morning was too cold.

Their bed was too warm… Chizuru should get up and get dressed. She should start breakfast and rekindle the fire and get things going for the day of work ahead, but…

Cold!

Chizuru buried her face into the warm bedding to escape the icy winter chill. The tangles of her bed held her in sweet seductive warmth and the prospect of leaving it was unbearable.

“No, no…” she murmured. She rubbed her frosted cheeks and nose into the fabric and felt them tingle as heat began to penetrate deep.

Chizuru was a hard worker, normally. If her knowledge and skill lagged so far behind everyone else that she could never catch up, then the least she could do was put in extra effort. Normally that was the case, but the cold was messing with her head. She simply couldn't resist this warmth and safety and--

Eh?

The warmth around her started to withdraw, as if reading her thoughts.

Chizuru latched onto the warm fabric and pleaded, “Five more minutes…”

A soft chuckle. “Chizuru…”

Chizuru’s ears burned. That voice did not belong to her bedding.

Why was he here to witness this embarrassingly silly behavior? Normally… he woke up first, and left for a morning stroll or meditation or whatever secret warrior things he did (not that she minded). Sometimes he brought home chopped wood, or a fish he caught from the nearby stream…

Actually, he usually got up and lit a fire after he dressed, so perhaps that was why the room was even colder than usual!

Neither of them were acting as normal this morning, were they?

She took a deep breath and snuggled close to his warm strength again. She mumbled into his chest, “Saito-san, please, just for today… let's sleep in, okay?”

That pause. It never stopped amazing Chizuru how his complete silence conveyed _so much._

“Hajime,” she corrected, giggling. She still slipped up sometimes, but she was getting better at saying her husband's first name.

Hajime smiled back; she didn't have to see his face to know this. Slowly, the hand she didn't hold captive slid through her hair. He seemed almost… thoughtful?

Even in marriage, he was stoic and calm and diligent to a fault, so perhaps he wouldn't give in to her request, but… she rubbed her cheek against him again like a cat, silently pleading back to him.

A soft sigh slipped into her ears. “Alright. Let's start slow today.”

Chizuru blinked against his white bed clothes. Really?

It wasn't as if they never planned ahead for emergencies, or if one lazy day in winter would ruin their lives, but it was still odd for both of them!

After some shifting, Hajime’s warm arms slid around her and held her close.

Unable or unwilling to think about it further, Chizuru sighed happily and dozed in bed, warm and safe and with the one she loved.  

Soft lips brushed her forehead in gentle adoration.

She opened her eyes and met Hajime’s dark ones.

This look, oh no, this particular gaze… resembled the thirst of a fury, slightly, but under Hajime’s iron control. She knew this look very well, though normally it'd be dark outside when he gave her _this look..._

Chizuru fidgeted. Her eyes darted around. Her face burned, and she licked her lips--not teasing him on purpose, but the effect was the same.

Eyes darkening further, Hajime kissed her.

She was still warm and sleepy enough to kiss back slowly and sloppily.

Hajime’s kisses were so soft and measured gently out. He usually explored her slowly like he was studying Chizuru’s reactions, harnessing the intensity he brought to swordplay and philosophy and all of his responsibilities. His hands slipped down to grasp her hips.

She broke away to gasp for breath. His mercilessly precise mouth would bring about her end someday, she was sure.

Hajime peppered her face with kisses, working over her cheeks and up her jawline. He kissed her earlobe - right above the invisible scar where he used to take blood for her.

Chizuru twitched.

“Just a little longer…”

“Ah. Okay…” She was less naive to what that request truly meant now, so she wound her arms around him, too. It was her turn to hold him close and stroke his hair.  

(He looked beautiful either way, but she missed his old hairstyle at times…)

He pressed his face into her neck and held still for a long time. Perhaps he was meditating right in their bed, heh.

“Hajime, you're acting a little strange.” She combed back the bangs that fell over his face.

He closed his eyes, acknowledging her with silence.  

Chizuru scooted closer and adjusted the blanket around them both. She pressed a corner to her lips to muffle herself as she asked, “Will you tell me what happened?”

“It’s nothing to be concerned about.” He cautioned. “I simply had a bad dream.”

Chizuru kissed his cheek, bold as she could be. “Would you like to talk about it?”

Hajime almost shook his head, but he wouldn't hide from her, would he?

“It wasn't violent or bloody, but…” Quietly, he explained the short but painful events:

He took her to a battlefield.

She held the medical tent as well as she could, but the camp was overrun. She ran to him.

The sun was low and red in the sky behind her.

A gunshot pierced her chest.  

Her body dissolved into ash in his arms as the sun set.

“Were you scared…?” Chizuru shivered, and then mentally chided herself for asking such a silly question.  

“Part of me… feels unsettled, yes. I don't want to make you die… but more than that,” he paused. He looked away. “Becoming a fury shortens the lifespan. If anything, you will lose me first. It seems strange to dream of losing you now that you and I have found peace.”

Chizuru clung to his neck. She understood what he feared, of course, but… She was here. No matter what, she would remain by his side until the end. That was enough for her.

She would never regret this time in her life. 

“Let's stay in bed all day!”

His brows furrowed.

“Sometimes it's good to spend time together,” she explained. “Life is short and precious, after all. Let's make a good memory.”

Hajime’s eyes fluttered. “Very well.”

Their arms tightened around each other as they confirmed their feelings.

In this frozen world, they gave each other warmth.    



End file.
